Hate
by Wolf and Leopard
Summary: WakaXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hate**

**Chapter 1**

Lesson 1

A great roar of anguish pierced the air surrounding Kamiki Village. Seemingly summoned by the chilling sound, an unexplainable darkness formed within the village and swirled around the source of the sound. A strange mass began to emerge out of the darkness to form a pure black beast that reared its massive head and let out another great roar, a hateful sound full of fury and malice.

Driven by the creature's strong feelings of hate, the darkness shot into the sky, seeming to pierce the heavens like a sinister arrow. Anything still alive to bear witness to the beast's show of utter hatred likely prayed to the great goddess Amaterasu who had left the human world decades ago. All except for one lone figure, who was watching the beast from a cliff overlooking Kamiki Village with a predatory smile and calculating eyes.

As the giant animal's roar slowly died down, the streak of darkness that pierced the heavens began to dissolve. Leaving only bitterness in the air and dark clouds that blocked the sun's light. Inhaling deeply, the lone figure watched with cruel amusement as the darkness surrounding the beast dissipated along with the body of the monster, leaving what he knew to be a frightened little girl with powers that could grant him the world once fully realized. Turning around, he began to descend down the mountain trail into the village, smirking at the sakura trees by the path as they rapidly began to fade and shed their foliage. The demonic energy was likely suffocating them along with Konohana further up the mountain.

He stalked through the village, stepping upon blood smeared paths and the various mauled and torn apart bodies. He ignored the _invigorating _smell of human and demon blood and instead followed the distinct scent of his prey to the location where she had mastered the first and most important lesson all demons must learn in order to survive and become powerful. How to **hate**.

-Line-

It's so dark. It feels like I'm underwater. It's hard to move my body. I feel light headed. My muscles are burning, and the sounds seem so far away. Everything is making me feel so nauseated. The overpowering smell of blood and the feel of it under my hands and feet, the strangled roar emanating from my own throat. The sudden clarity of my surroundings, sight, sound, hearing, smell, touch, hit me like a punch and brought me back into reality.

The sky was dark but everything seemed so clear to me. Looking down, I noticed that the ground was far beneath me and that there was a thick layer of black fog below. Even so I could hear the faint rustlings of whatever wildlife was hiding from all the evil energy and demons.

Now with my mind cleared I could feel my body shrinking, and the darkness around me began to dissipate into my own body. The curled figure of Mitsuru at my feet made the darkness inside of me stir, hate. That's what the darkness was; it powered my new body, made the fur grow, my legs lengthen, claws form, teeth sharpen into fangs, a tail form, my face become feline, and new ears replace my inadequate human ones. If there had been any demons that hadn't fled when I suddenly grew, I knew I would have gone into a rage, killed, and eaten them.

As far as I could tell once I stopped shrinking I was around the size of a large horse, taller than most of the men in the village. I stooped down and gently took Mitsuru in my jaws. Her limp body and the taste of her blood in my mouth angered me still. I began to run, away from the village, away from the death and blood, I only took Mitsuru, I would be fine as long as I had her with me.

-Line-

The day Mitsuru died, it shattered my life, stomped all over it till there were only bits and pieces of it left. Held together with blood, hate, and darkness, barely a shadow of what I used to be.

I hardly ever returned back to my human shape after that, most of the time I remained a large, black cat. I buried Mitsuru's body under the guardian sapling in Hana Valley. I guarded the valley well, so no demons could get to her body or desecrate her grave.

Demons entering Hana Valley was a common occurrence, a threatening hiss sent most on their way. If they chose to stay and fight me I would kill and eat them. As a cat their taste didn't bother me much and the blackness inside me would become thicker and darker after each meal.

Aside from the occasional snack break, I didn't have much else to do in Hana Valley. I did my best to keep the sakura trees from withering. Though I was partially successful, despite my best efforts the guardian sapling Mitsuru was buried under stubbornly remained withered.

It was three years after Mitsuru died that _he _appeared. _He _would start a chain reaction of events that would turn my world upside down.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Okami

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**Hate**

**Chapter 2**

Breathe**  
**

I heard him enter Hana Valley, and I ran to confront him before he could get too far in. I was fully prepared to kill and eat him like the rest of the beings that wandered into my territory. Of all the humans and demons that have trespassed into my territory over the years, he confused me the most. He had black hair and blood red eyes. As I approached, he regarded me calmly, as if I were a mere house cat rather than the monstrous beast of a cat that I am. He further proved my point when he ignored my threatening hiss and instead reached out to rub right around my ears.

Needless to say, that surprised me. I wasn't even coherent enough to swipe at his hand and I just crouched there, perfectly still, staring at him wide eyed as he detachedly rubbed my ears. If not for the cold roughness of the gesture I might have purred from the pleasure of the long forgotten contact with another.

After that gesture, I couldn't bring myself to harm this strange man. Even as he began to circle around me, examining every aspect of my large, feline body, I remained still. When he came back into my line of vision, I couldn't tell what he honestly thought of me. Most humans that had lived to get a good look at me had either loathing or disgust in their eyes...up until I ate them. His eyes though, they were perfectly calm with no visible emotions in them.

So when he reached out his hand again I couldn't help but lean forward and close my eyes, as he ran his hand along my cheek. I opened my eyes as he turned around and began walking out of Hana Valley. The only indication that he wanted me to follow was when he glanced back at me for a moment before turning and leaving.

Having that kind of contact, the feeling of acceptance, was like finally breathing and not realizing I had stopped in the first place. I was desperate for more of acceptance, my newfound oxygen. He didn't object to my presence as I followed him across Shinshu Field and towards the Moon Cave. In fact, he seemed to ignore me as much as one could ignore a giant, black cat.

The closer we got to the Moon Cave and the thicker the demonic power became, the more he began to look back towards me. Probably making sure I was following him. He expertly navigated the paths through the Moon Cave until we came to the platform above the room where Orochi and Amaterasu had fought years before. He jumped down with unnatural ease and landed totally unfazed, much like myself. I'm a giant cat though, what's his excuse?

In the middle of the room there was a great bell surrounded by eight sets of serpentine bones. These were obviously the remains of the defeated Orochi. He bypassed the bones and went straight to the bell. Once again I followed him, a bit more hesitantly I must admit. When he turned and looked at me expectantly I could only stare at him. What? Am I supposed to do something? It's too bad in this form I can't talk, well at least not to where he would actually be able to understand what I was trying to say that is.

He sighed and then he spoke, "Can't you feel the power in these remains?" His voice was deep, dark, and stern, almost inhuman. Wait, did he mean the feeling in the air that felt like I was slowly being suffocated? I nodded dumbly at him in response. He motioned towards the bell, "Take it in."

Erm, okay? How the heck am I supposed to do that? I once again could only stare at him dumbly. Opps, now he looks a bit irritated, "Pull the power into your body, try putting your paw on the bell and drawing it in." his voice became even sterner, like a cranky old man. The thought almost made me purr, the closest I could get to a human giggle or laugh.

Stepping past him, I put my clawed paw onto the bell and did as he instructed. The sheer amount of power made me gasp out loud. I didn't stop despite my initial surprise. The power felt strangely good, like sunlight warming my fur, relaxing my muscles and lulling me into a drowsy state. Needless to say, I continued to take the power in. Closing my eyes and fully enjoying the sensation, until there was nearly nothing left.

Once there was nothing left, I opened my eyes and noticed that the bell seemed much more delicate now that I had taken away its power. The air was mush crisper and easier to breathe, and I could feel the energy within me. Turning back to him, I got no congratulation or praise. He merely turned away and began to make his way out of the Moon Cave, as if I had wasted time on a simple task that I should have been able to accomplish easily.

Shaking off his coldness, I followed him. Once we exited the Moon Cave he turned to me again. Having learned from my previous ignorance, he informed me precisely of what he wanted from me. "I want you to get something down for me. Remember three years ago?"

I tensed at that. How could I forget? Mitsuru died three years ago, I transformed into a giant cat, and I experienced hate and never really stopped hating. He must have gotten his answer from my expression, which is pretty impressive. I remember never being able to tell what a cat was thinking. Maybe that's why I always liked dogs better, ha, now that's irony.

"I want to you to do the same thing as you did on that day, become an enormous cat, able to reach into the heavens and pluck a being from the celestial plain for me."

-Line-

"Stir up the darkness inside you; with Orochi's power you should be able to reach the celestial plain." Okay he says that like it should make sense, but whatever I'll do it. He might be the only person that won't want to kill be at first sight. He's the first to have ever willingly touched me, well at least not in an aggressive; I wanna kill you, way that is.

I closed my eyes, immediately my inner darkness surrounded me. It was still and reflective, like water, as it usually was when I wasn't angry. He said to stir it up. Does that mean I don't actually have to get angry? Maybe if I focus I can get a reaction out of it. There, a small ripple disrupted the usual calm of my darkness, but I don't feel any different. I guess I need to try harder.

Suddenly, the darkness began to bubble. It was almost as if it were boiling, just without the heat. I could feel it pushing against invisible restraints. It felt as if it were boiling over, pushing against my skin, trying to escape out into the world. Once again I felt as if I were underwater, a searing pain as my body seemed to stretch to accommodate the darkness' growth within my body. Everything felt sore, like I was going through some kind of twisted growth spurt.

Suddenly it all stopped, the pain, the underwater-ness, everything. Opening my eyes, my head was literally in the clouds. The air felt thin but crisp, and I could see a floating island above me. I could reach it with my front paws if I got up on my hind legs.

The floating island, the celestial plain I guess I should call it, took my weight very well, it didn't tip or crumble. Wait, how am I supposed to grab a person as big as I am right now? I'm so big that a normal human seems like an ant in comparison. I'd crush them, or kill them, pretty much either way they end up dead. He didn't say whether to bring them dead or alive. Oh, crap, maybe I should have thought about this beforehand.

Oh, shit! The height must be affecting my darkness. It's starting to boil over again all on its own. Crap, my body won't, can't grow anymore. I can feel the darkness seeping out of my fur in great waves. Without the darkness to support my new body I could feel it shrinking. Now I was hanging off the celestial plain, with my claws digging into the soil, struggling to try and pull the rest of my body up to safety.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. Looking up from my struggling I saw a tall male. He had golden blond hair and was wearing a bright pink kimono tucked into purple pants and a long hawk headdress. He seemed to be examining me in a similar way to how _he _examined me, when we first met in Hana Valley. This man's eyes were different, they were a light blue and though they were calm they also seemed light hearted. Going off of my first impression of him, I meowed softly, hoping that the sound would encourage him to help me up.

I nearly choked on the sound when another wave of darkness left my body. Crap, this can't be happening! If I get any smaller I won't be able to land safely. Looking up I saw that the strange man was swaying slightly before he fell on top of me. Tearing my claws out of the soil and forcing both of us off the celestial plain and falling towards Nippon. I grabbed the front of his kimono with my mouth, unable to tell if he was even awake due to the deafening sound of wind as we fell towards Shinshu Field.

Like any cat, I twisted so that I would land on my feet and hopefully not break any bones in the landing. The landing part definitely stung a bit, but dropping from that height I'm just glad that none of my bones seem broken. Shaking off the feeling of wind in my fur and the lightheaded feeling I had from losing all that darkness, I gently put the unconscious man on the ground and laid next to him in an attempt to recover some power to replace what was lost.

_He_ appeared just before sunset with two imps following meekly behind him. The blond man still hadn't woken up and when he saw the celestial being he looked genuinely pleased and rubbed my ears as a reward. He walked over towards the blond man and easily picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. I couldn't help but hiss at the imps. That made him glance back and give me a disapproving look but other than that he didn't seem to care. They kept a good distance away from me so I didn't bother them...much.

When we came to the entrance of Hana Valley, I would have chased them off if he hadn't fixed me with a hard glare that dared me to mess with them. So I could only lower my eyes and follow behind the group meekly. He stopped before the bridge leading towards the central room with the guardian sapling. It's a good thing too. I cut the ropes long ago so that no humans could reach the sapling. It didn't matter much, since I could easily clear the gap.

I didn't want to be anywhere near those imps, so when the group set up camp I walked further down the path and slept in front of the ledge where the bridge used to be connected. If the demons tried to wander further into Hana Valley then they were welcome to, so long as they stayed away from Mitsuru. I could pick up tidbits of their conversation from where I was laying down. "Katsuro-sama, will this really work?" The voice was high pitched and rough sounding, obviously one of the imps. So the red eyed man's name was Katsuro. That's a nice name, at least now I know his name. I didn't hear his reply, but he must have told them I could hear their conversations because after that I didn't hear anything coming from their direction besides the slight crackle of the flames.

It was the middle of the night when I was woken up by the sound of a flute, the sound made me feel strangely calm and I almost fell back to sleep. Until I noticed that the sound was coming from the direction of the guardian sapling. I jumped up just as Katsuro jumped across the gap to the other side, as the two imps passed me while they were following Katsuro. I used my paw to swipe at one and quickly bit the other one as it passed too close to my face. Leaving their bodies where they had fallen, I also jumped across the gap, in pursuit of both Katsuro and the source of the music.

By the time I reached the guardian sapling, Katsuro had already arrived. I saw that the blond man was standing on one of the sapling's branches, a flute held coyly in front of his mouth. "Hark! The call of the heavens, the earth, the sea... They summon me forth to defeat evil! Waka, the gods' gift to man is here! Bonjour!" What the heck? What has this dude been drinking? Though I must admit, his voice sounded kind and somewhat playful. It was nice to listen to and made me feel strangely comfortable. That didn't make his trespassing onto the guardian sapling, so close to Mitsuru's grave, at all forgivable. Hissing loudly, I could feel what little power I have left beginning to bubble up. He's on the tree, but I can't attack him. The tree wouldn't be able to handle my weight when I'm so damn big! I could only watch as both Waka and Katsuro drew their swords. It seemed that Waka was about to jump down from the tree to attack Katsuro, but Katsuro attempted to jump onto the tree in order to attack Waka instead.

Well Katsuro _tried. _Waka being on the tree I couldn't help, but Katsuro jumping onto the tree I could. I bet Waka didn't expect to have his fight intervened by a giant cat, or Katsuro to imagine being tackled out of the air by a hissing cat that had been eagerly following his every command not a few hours before. I put my body between Katsuro and the tree in an effort to subtly deter him from coming closer. I don't care if the two of them fight, but they need to get away from the Mitsuru and out of Hana Valley while they were at it. I began to hiss fiercely to help convey my message, just in case I was too subtle.

Katsuro did decide to back off, probably deciding he didn't want to fight if the odds were two to one against him. Listening carefully to make sure he left Hana Valley, I didn't notice when Waka landed like a feather beside me. He got my attention when he tentatively pat my shoulder, I would have ignored that and proceeded to punish him for even approaching the guardian sapling, if he hadn't reached up and began to scratch me behind my ear. Unlike Katsuro, Waka's hands were warm and very gentle as they touched me, a bit hesitant, not unwilling. I immediately closed my eyes and began to purr in pleasure, leaning into his hands.

I heard him chuckle lightly and murmur, "Heh, you're just a big house cat." Opening one eye I gave him a look. This seemed to amuse him even more as I saw him crack a smile. He did, however continue to rub my ear and shoulder. He didn't linger long, and eventually he pulled away and looked towards the guardian sapling. I hissed when he began to move forward, my tail lashing behind me and my fur beginning to bristle.

Before I could pounce, the tree began to glow and suddenly recovered from its previously withered state. The tree was absolutely beautiful now that it had been revived. All my previous anger forgotten, I could only stare at the tree that I had tried to bring back to its full glory for years. During my trance Waka had come back to my side and began to gently scratch behind my ears once more. How did he do that? My head connected with Waka's chest, almost knocking him over. I was purring loudly. I guess that's what kept him from thinking I was attacking him. Gently, I rubbed my feline body against Waka, doing my best not to knock him off balance this time. I'm just so happy, and all because of him!

When I stopped rubbing up against him, Waka began walking towards the camp site that Katsuro and the two demons had put up and nonchalantly sat near the fire and went to sleep. As I followed him back. I noticed that with the guardian sapling revived, all of the other sakura and fruit trees seem much healthier and vibrant. Walking past Waka I went towards the entrance to Hana Valley and made sure no other demons had wandered in while I was preoccupied. Then, I backtracked to the guardian sapling and groomed myself before curling up. I want to stay with Waka for the same reasons I followed Katsuro today. I want to be accepted. I want to breathe again.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Okami

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**Hate **

**Chapter 3**

Memories

I woke up right around dawn, stretched a bit, and then groomed myself. This is my typical morning ritual, my feline equivalent to getting up and putting on clothes before venturing out to do some chores.

Only today I had a guest. Walking down Hana Valley's paths I began to feel a bit worried. Why couldn't I hear anything, no humans were perfectly silent. Not when they breathed, when they ate, when they moved, not even when they slept. Entering the clearing my suspicion was immediately confirmed.

He left. Damn it! I should have slept with him last night! Ew, that sounds dirty. Sadness washed over me, then loneliness. Confusion overwhelmed me after that. Why had I thought he would stay? Waka isn't human, that I know. Then again he definitely isn't a demon. He isn't made of darkness like me. I pulled him; really he fell, from the celestial plain. So of course he's some kind of divine being. Of course he wouldn't want to waste his time with a demon.

I couldn't help the self hating hiss that escaped my parted jaws, nor the low rumbling roar that came soon after. I didn't even notice my self control slowly slipping away, or the red haze clouding my vision. The next thing I knew my claws were deep in the bark of one of the fruit trees, with my jaws open releasing a deafening roar.

My mind slowly cleared as I tried to remove my claws from the tree without damaging it further. Once my claws were free I immediately noticed the damage they had inflicted the poor tree. Bitterness, it was in my mouth, my stomach, just about everywhere. I couldn't tell if it was guilt at harming the tree or the irrational feeling of abandonment.

Mitsuru, I need to go to her, the uncomfortable bitterness in my stomach seemed to fade the closer I got to her. I curled myself under the grand tree's leafy branches, as close to Mitsuru as I possibly could, and the bitterness almost completely disappeared.

-Line-

Large cat-like eyes watched the black haired woman cautiously as she put a plate of rice balls in front of her. The older woman with long black hair and brown eyes also watched the younger green eyed child. The woman took note of the child's cuts and bruises, her untrusting eyes and the almost feral way the little girl ate the food she had been offered.

"What's your name?"

The girl practically jumped at the sound of the woman's voice, her lips drawing back to reveal her small, sharp teeth. It was hard for the woman to not stare or look shocked by the girl's strange reaction. For a second she could only blink at the little girl sitting in her kitchen but then she calmly looked away and stated nonchalantly.

"My name is Mitsuru."

Though Mitsuru couldn't see it, the girl visibly relaxed once she blinked and looked away. Of all the strange messages the woman had been sending through her body language these were among the only that the girl could understand. Slowly the woman's intentions became clearer to the small girl.

"Meow"

Snapping her head towards the source of the sound, Mitsuru saw the girl looking shyly at the table. What was with that sound? Was it that girl? But it sounded exactly like a cat, a kitten maybe. Sighing, Mitsuru wondered what had been going through her mind when she decided to bring this strange little girl into her home and feed her.

Every day Mitsuru saw the child as she went about her daily routines, occasionally catching short glimpses of the mysterious girl. Mitsuru's observations could only tell her so much about the strange youth like her wild green eyes that seem so clear and expressive. How she ran so quickly when confronted. Her short black hair that looked so much like fur, it always seemed so dirty and ragged. How lonely she looked as she loitered around the outskirts of Kamiki Village.

After gathering as much information as she could about the strange child from her neighbors and her own rare sightings of the girl, Mitsuru began to almost constantly think about her. Where did she live? What did she like to do? What is her favorite food? Who are her parents, where are they? Why does she look so small, is she eating enough? Why doesn't she talk? What is she doing right now? Is she okay? Has she eaten anything? Is she happy, lonely, or sad?

Soon Mitsuru felt the urge to approach the child and speak and interact with her, but whenever she even stepped towards her the young girl would almost immediately flee. Her first and possibly last chance presented itself. Mitsuru had been walking towards Kamiki from Shinshu Field and she saw a small figure curled at the base of one of the sakura trees that paved either side of the path. It happened to be the mysterious little girl that had been occupying Mitsuru's thoughts recently. She had numerous scrapes and bite marks marring her tanned skin, but she seemed relatively unharmed and slept deeply. She hardly even stirred when Mitsuru lifted the small girl up and took her back to her house.

As soon as they reached her house, Mitsuru bandaged the little girl's wounds and allowed her to rest in her bed. Once she woke up the little girl seemed extremely distressed at being within the confines of Mitsuru's house. Mitsuru had also been wary of the wild child whom she had never imagined being able to get so close to. However at the sight of the child's wounds Mitsuru couldn't suppress her maternal instincts.

Yakizakana **(1)**, she absolutely loved it, really she loved any food with fish in it. That was the first food Mitsuru had fed her when she woke up. Just the smell of the food had seemed to calm her down and she ate it eagerly when Mitsuru offered it to her. She had left soon after that but Mitsuru saw her often after that. Feed a cat once and they'll keep coming back that much was very true for Mitsuru. Occasionally she would see the small girl trailing quietly after her and wandering near her house after that, but she rarely got close enough for Mitsuru to even touch her again.

It had only been a few weeks after their encounter that Mitsuru noticed the girl once again seemed to be injured. Cuts and bruises as usual but her skin was pale and she seemed lethargic, not even glancing up as Mitsuru approached her. She merely mewled weakly when she was picked up and once again carried to Mitsuru's home.

After feeding her some kayu **(2) **Mitsuru was surprised with how quickly she recovered, but also somewhat sad since she knew the little girl would leave again as soon as she was able to. Mitsuru was partially correct, the girl was gone by the time she woke up the next morning, but at different times throughout the day she would catch glimpses of the child. When she arrived home for the night she was amazed to see the girl curled up, seeming to be patiently waiting for Mitsuru to arrive and she followed Mitsuru into the house without a word.

Looking back towards the girl, Mitsuru smiled and decided that the strange, wild little girl was definitely worth the trouble.

"Then I'll call you Junko."

Junko, obedient or pure child, Mitsuru didn't know why it seemed to right for the child but she couldn't help but feel that Junko was her child now. Junko looked up at Mitsuru, her wild eyes so fierce but innocent. Part animal, part child, Mitsuru reached out to stroke Junko's hair. It felt so soft despite her ragged appearance, just like cat fur.

"It looks like you need a bath though."

Junko watched Mitsuru with questioning eyes, unaware of what was to come.

-Line-

Darkness, I've been aware of its subtle presence in my life since I was a child. I hadn't been aware that I was doomed to drown in it until Mitsuru died.

Shuffling, claws scraping across flesh and the faint drip, drip, drip of blood, these sounds chilled me, they were all too familiar. I opened my eyes, almost expecting to see a group of them around a small black haired girl with tan skin and green eyes. It was Waka. They had surrounded him and they were clawing him to death, his blood was pooling on the ground and staining their claws.

Why wasn't he defending himself? I wanted to yell at him 'Fight back, they'll stop, don't let them kill you!' but my cat body wouldn't allow the vocalization. Come on! Waka, you have a sword! Fight! Get away from them! Even as a child I could do it!

I could see his movements grow weaker and his bright blue eyes begin to glaze over. I wanted to rush in, crush them in my jaws, and tear them apart with my claws. Hurt them as much as they were hurting Waka and had hurt me in the past, but I couldn't move. I felt as useless as when I was just a child. Unable to really fight back when they attacked me, only able to make them back off for a short time.

I could only watch as Waka slowly died from their relentless attack. His blood poured from gaping wounds they opened in his skin, falling in streams to the earth. The smell began to make me feel sick. My eyes began to tear up and my vision became blurred, I began to gasp for breath.

Just before Waka died… I woke up.

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**1. ****It literally means grilled fish in Japanese.**

**2. ****Japanese rice gruel, kinda like oatmeal I guess. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter...**

**Please Review!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hate**

**Chapter 4**

Waka Laka

The image of Waka's torn and bleeding body was still fresh in my mind when I woke up. I was gasping for breath and my left shoulder _burned_; the scar from before I met Mitsuru felt like it was on fire. There was no obvious wound, only the slight part of my fur along the scar, but the pain still left me writhing on the ground unable to get up. Even after the images from the dream had faded the pain remained. After a while I heard a faint sound at the entrance to Hana valley. Before my vision blurred and my struggling stopped as I passed out I thought I felt a gentle hand running through my fur _right along the scar_.

"Shhhh, it's alright, little one."

Mitsuru? No one would call me 'little one' but her! How could that be? With these thoughts racing through my only partially conscious mind I felt someone stroking the fur along the back of my neck. My eyes snapped open and I sat up, fully expecting to see Mitsuru next to me. Instead there was a young woman sprawled on the ground next to me. As she sat up she shot me an irritated look. What? I was sleeping! Shewas the one touching me while I slept! Ew. Either way she's the one that should be getting an irritated look not me! I did my best to imitate her look but she just laughed a bit and started to get up. Geez what's with all of these people coming to Hana valley and not being afraid of me?

As she stood she made no move to get away or even attack me. Instead she calmly picked some leaves and twigs out of her dark auburn hair. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her pale brown eyes were somewhat cold but she had a smile on her face as she dusted off her green kimono.

"My name is Sayuri."

She looked at me as if she expected a reply. I could only meow at her. Once again she looked slightly irritated, but then she quickly turned around and walked towards a messenger bag that was on the ground and went to pick up a sword that was next to it. Just as she bent down to pick it up, I couldn't help but let out a hiss.

For a second Sayuri froze but then she stood up and walked back over to me; reaching out she put her hands on either side of my head and brought her face close to mine. Looking into her eyes I couldn't look away. Her eyes seemed to pull me in, both overwhelming and comforting me. There's no way she would hurt me. It felt like our roles were reversed, she was the monster and I was the woman. Even so I felt safe.

I was still dazed when she let go of my face and went back to get her sword. It was when I felt Sayuri get up on my back that I finally broke out of my trance. Standing up, I felt Sayuri wobble a bit and her legs tighten on my sides to maintain her balance.

"Hey, calm down! I don't want to end up on the ground again."

I felt her stroke the fur on the top of my head and around my ears; even without seeing my face she seemed to sense my confusion.

"You don't get out much do you? Nowadays it's practically expected for a traveler like me to have a companion of some sort, even a demon like you wouldn't be too strange."

She wanted me? As a traveling companion? It was hard for me to believe for a second but remembering the look in her eyes I couldn't doubt her. I was so happy I didn't even notice the purr working its way up my throat. I guess she could feel it from her position on my back because I heard her give a slight laugh before nudging me with her leg.

Walking towards the entrance I suddenly remembered Mitsuru and stopped just before we left Hana valley. Sayuri seemed to understand my hesitation about leaving my home and Mitsuru.

"Don't worry. No demon would come here with all of this divine energy and no human would want to harm this place either."

When I didn't move she seemed to be getting slightly frustrated and squeezed my sides with her legs.

"Come on. It's time to go."

After one last look at Hana valley I turned and made my way to Shinshu field with Sayuri on my back.

-Line-

Waka POV (sorta)

Most of his life Waka had been given visions of what had yet to happen; however, it wasn't until he was an adult that he began to research and put together the pieces of the puzzle which was the future.

Recently his visions were all concerning a roaring beast cloaked in darkness that was terrorizing Nippon. Each vision seemed to be the same, the large demon roaring its head off while it destroyed a village, only the village seemed to change. He knew that these events weren't going to happen anytime too soon since the air was relatively free of large amounts of evil energy. Lately he had gotten into the habit of going to the edge of the celestial plain where the view of Nippon was best to scout for any large sources of evil.

On that day the air had seemed cleaner than before, so he hadn't been expecting to see an enormous cat that reminded him so much of the demon from his visions. He was experiencing a mixture of awe and horror at the power the cat possessed in being able to reach that size; however, Waka was beyond surprised when the cat reached up and put its paws onto the celestial plain.

He was slightly apprehensive about facing the demon cat in battle, but before he could even draw his sword the cat quickly started to shrink while giving off copious amounts of evil energy. It stopped for a short moment, but Waka could only stare at the smaller, though still abnormally large cat. The silence was broken when the cat let out a pitiful meow and another wave of dark energy escaped its body. Immediately due to the dark energy, Waka felt his vision darkening and his body beginning to fall towards Nippon.

When he finally woke up, Waka instantly knew he was in Hana valley. Looking around, he noticed there were only two imps by the fire. He was surprised and slightly insulted that they had underestimated him so much as to not even try to bind him. Gracefully, he got up and began to head deeper into Hana valley.

Waka had just come up to where the bridge used to be when he saw the cat that he had seen before he had passed out. It was sleeping peacefully, occasionally twitching in its sleep as though it were dreaming. He was cautious about getting too close to the creature since it is obviously a demon and might just be waiting for the best moment to strike.

Waka knew his absence would soon be discovered when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching where the imps were sleeping. With ease he jumped across the gap and headed toward the guardian sapling. Waka briefly noted the sapling's condition before jumping onto one of its shriveled limbs and taking out his flute, preparing for his dramatic and hopefully surprising entrance.

As he began to play his signature tune Waka almost immediately heard a person running towards him. It only took a few moments for a tall guy with black hair and red eyes to enter the scene, quickly followed by the cat.

"Hark! The call of the heavens, the earth, the sea... They summon me forth to defeat evil! Waka, the gods' gift to man is here! Bonjour!"

The cat stared at him with wide eyes that seemed to be asking him what kind of drugs he had been smoking*. After a moment the cat's eyes narrowed and it began to hiss threateningly. The man silently drew the sword at his waist.

Responding to the man's threatening gesture, Waka drew his sword and readied himself for battle. Just as they were about to leap at each other the cat leapt between them and rounded on the red eyed man, hissing angrily. Obviously surprised by this betrayal the man quickly fled, leaving Waka and the cat alone.

Unsure of the demon's intentions, Waka didn't know whether to sheath his sword or attack the cat. He watched the cat to see if it planned on attacking him, but it seemed to be listening for something because it was practically ignoring him. Deciding that if it really meant harm then it wouldn't be giving him an opening like this. Waka leapt down from the guardian sapling and hesitantly stroked the cat's fur. Immediately it began to purr and lean into his hand. Chuckling a bit, Waka was surprised by the cat's reaction.

"Heh, you're just a big house cat."

After he said that the cat gave him an 'are-you-kidding-me' look that genuinely amused him. Stroking it for a few more moments, Waka contemplated the meanings behind the cat's actions. Why would it turn on its ally? Was it trying to protect the guardian sapling? How could it be so at ease in his presence?

Turning to the guardian sapling Waka decided to revive it both to help cleanse the evil energy and to see the cat's reaction. He heard an angry his behind him as he approached the tree but that was quickly silenced as he revived the sapling. When he turned back to the cat he was surprised to see that it seemed to be in awe.

He began to idly scratch its ears when he was caught off guard when the cat's head connected with his chest, and began to purr so loudly that his own body seemed to vibrate with the sound while it rub itself along his body.

As Waka walked back to where the imps had left the fire, passing by where the cat had obviously killed them; he wondered about the cat's motives. He was positive that it was the cat he saw in his visions, but its actions seemed rather strange considering how it looked so blood thirsty as it destroyed the villages in his visions.

Waka waited until the cat had settled down to sleep before he left to gather information and hopefully figure out the puzzle surrounding this strange demon.

* * *

**Okay I noticed how the formating is all messed up but everytime i try to fix it, it doesn't do anything on here... oh well... **

**Oh if anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about when I wrote Waka's signature tune then go look up Ushiwaka's theme on youtube...  
**

***- for anyone who got that reference I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did ;) hahahaha **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hate**

**Chapter 5 **

Learning

_Two pairs of eyes shone in the darkness, one set was as high as a house and were as big as a man's head; the other were a mere spots set close to the ground. A voice came from the larger creature in the darkness. It was unnaturally deep and rough, obviously demonic. _

_"Take the beads to the full blood. Make sure the humans put them on her. If you fail **he **will punish you." _

_A sound of a mixture of fear and affirmation came from the smaller creature in the darkness. _

Waka steadied himself against a sakura tree as a vision suddenly assaulted him. The moon was shining above him as he made his way down the sakura lined road to Kamiki village. Despite his questions about the new evil threatening Nippon he could only continue his journey for answers to these eerie visions.

-Line-

Junko P.O.V

Sayuri and I crossed Shinshu field and went through Agata forest once we left Hana valley, within hours of leaving Hana valley actually; with Sayuri riding on my back. By the time we stopped for the night I was dead tired, apparently Sayuri's merciless pace had been to test my speed and stamina.

The next day she made it clear that while she admired my speed she was severely disappointed with my stamina. So during our training she would push me till I passed out or mastered whatever she was showing me.

That's how I ended up deep in Tsuta ruins; my paws aching and my muscles screaming at me to stop, but Sayuri had made it clear that we would stop only when I made it to the platform she pushed me off of earlier today. Or when I passed out of course.

Today Sayuri was trying to teach me Holy Eagle, which is basically jumping a second time while in mid air, with nothing to push off of. She assured me that using that technique I would be able to easily reach the platform from the ground since I could already jump fairly high as a cat. Unfortunately as much as I believe her I don't know how to do it. She refused to come down and show me how.

"I believe in learning from experience."

Huffing in frustration I tried to remember the few tips she had actually given to me.

"Focus!"

Okay not too helpful…

"The second jump won't be the same as the first! So don't try to jump like you normally do the second time!"

That's just confusing. How am I supposed to jump in mid air if I can't jump like I normally do?

"Focus you darn cat! I don't wanna be here all day!"

Hmm… too late for that… and still not helpful…

"You have power! You just need to FOCUS to use it!"

Huh? What is that supposed to mean?

"Close your eyes, FOCUS, jump, and then jump again!"

Okay then. Closing my eyes I tried to focus, but I suddenly realized something after a moment of focusing. What am I supposed to be focusing on? She said something about power… Was she talking about the darkness? I guess. Once again I focused, this time on the darkness, and I became aware of the darkness spread throughout my body. Sayuri didn't say anything about stirring it up. She told me to jump. So I jumped. Then I jumped again, still focusing on the darkness. This attempt ended up the same as my previous ones.

I landed with a thud on the stone floor below the platform. I didn't bother getting back on my aching paws. Instead I lay there, both resting and trying to figure out why it didn't work. Sayuri mentioned jumping. Maybe I'm supposed to be focusing on that too.

Closing my eyes I brought the darkness into my focus. Then as I was going to jump I focused on the action too. Strangely, as I jumped the darkness inside me curled tightly within me, forcing my body into a front flip. As I prepared to make the second jump the darkness suddenly unfurled, propelling my body forward into another flip… and straight into a wall.

I hissed sharply as my face slammed into the wall and I practically bounced off the wall. Looking up I could see Sayuri leaning over the edge of the platform watching me.

Once again I focused and noticed that it didn't take me as long as it had last time. This time I managed to land onto the platform with Sayuri. She immediately walked up and praised me by petting my fur. Apparently she saw my face-slam because she carefully avoided touching my still tender face.

-Line-

We left Tsuta Ruins around sunset and Sayuri decided to camp in Agata forest for the night. Sayuri is currently powdering and oiling her sword, while I lick my bloody paws.

"Well I suppose this would be as good a time as any to teach you Regeneration*."

Looking up from my bloody paws I waited for Sayuri to elaborate.

"Focus."

Okay then. Closing my eyes, I focused on the darkness.

"Now direct your focus to your wounds."

Huh? Umm, okay? Not opening my eyes I focused on my sore paws but that just seemed to make the dull throb turn into a painful burning sensation. My eyes snapped open as I jumped to my paws, hissing from the sudden rush of new pain.

I heard Sayuri sigh and my ears dropped sadly as I looked at her. Putting away her sword, Sayuri got up and began to walk towards the slowly darkening forest.

As I got up to follow Sayuri's voice came from the encroaching darkness.

"Stay. I don't need your blood attracting demons."

I dropped back to the ground and gazed at a bug as it moved along a leaf. I guess she was still angry about staying in Tsuta Ruins for so long while I learned Holy Eagle.

I stayed like that long after the bug had scuttled away, sulking away the last of the day, waiting for Sayuri to return so I could try to get back on her good side.

In the distance I heard a fairly loud crash followed by the crackling sound of flames. Opening my mouth I smelt the familiar scent of fire. Determined to wait for Sayuri I dismissed these noises as a couple of demons getting too boisterous, but I couldn't help jumping when I heard a woman's scream.

**_Blood. Blood everywhere, covering everything. Bodies lying in the streets. So much death; too much death. So many innocents lost. So much hatred. Too much hatred. _**

**_Unforgivable. _**

I was on my feet running in an instant. The pain in my paws was forgotten. Instead of a forest there was a small village, the houses painted with blood and streets littered with bodies of humans and demons alike. My memories clouded my vision. Instead of a stranger and a demon I saw Mitsuru and the black mass.

-Line-

As a human I never particularly liked fire. It seemed strange to me. Almost like a living thing that was being born and killed at a whim, and always managed to burn me at some point in between. As a cat I like it even less. Sure it was warm but I have my fur for that. I personally like my meat raw too; so that was another notch down on the usefulness scale for me. The brightness hurt my eyes and I still managed to get burned whenever I encountered it.

So I have no idea what possessed me to head butt a Hitodama (1). Immediately I recoiled away from the demon's flaming balloon-like body, the fur on my face feeling horribly burnt.

The Hitodama didn't seem affected in anyway by my attack other than being surprised. The woman on the other hand freaked out at my sudden appearance and screamed even louder.

Ignoring the ear piercing shriek of the woman I glanced over the Hitodama, its pale blue, fire-ball body was floating in the middle of the clearing with its long, also pale blue, flaming tail swinging violently around it. The woman was huddled against a rock wall with the Hitodama cutting off any possible escape into the forest.

I couldn't tell if it was paying any attention to me since Hitodama don't have any noticeable eyes, but when its flaming tail slammed me in the side I sorta assumed it was. The blow was strong enough to knock me off my paws.

Before I could stand up the tail came at me, and I grabbed it in my mouth in hopes of biting it, but the heat from the flames made me drop it almost immediately.

Well, third time's the charm, right? I stood up and as the tail swung at me I jumped over it and did another jump in order to land on the Hitodama's body and hopefully squish it.

Worst. Mistake. EVER.

The flames of the Hitodama's body made the forgotten pain in my paws flare up into pure agony. I couldn't help the yowl that escaped my jaws as I quickly got off the Hitodama and crashed into a tree at the far edge of the clearing near the rock wall.

I could feel the darkness beginning to bubble from my frustration and the white hot pain in my paws. The darkness made my body become numb and my mind clouded. I was only vaguely aware of the roar escaping my jaws as I prepared to attack the Hitodama again.

Suddenly a sacred arrow became struck the Hitodama and it disappeared with a puff of smoke. Only when my darkness froze and my mind cleared did I notice the pain in my back legs and shoulder. Glancing back I saw several sacred arrows contrasting sharply with my black fur.

It felt as if all my energy had been sucked away and left me with only exhaustion and pain. My vision rapidly began to darken and as I slumped to the ground I noticed several people gathering along the edges of the clearing.

-Line-

*Regeneration is different from the brush technique rejuvenation just to clarify…

1. It's a Japanese fire-ball ghost that appears when someone dies.


	6. Chapter 6

Hate

Chapter 6

Bound

Slowly my vision began to clear and I saw the forest surrounding me. It appeared to be midday judging by the brightness of the light that filtered through the tree tops. I almost immediately noticed something was wrong with my body.

I was lying on my side and there seemed to be some invisible force pushing me down. Usually I'm filled with darkness which I can feel rippling inside me with my every move and emotion. However, right now my body felt withered, like if I made a single move my whole body would crumple and fall apart.

Without looking, I could tell that the sacred arrows were still embedded in my body. My whole body was pretty much numb, so I felt no real pain from them. Just an uncomfortable feeling like having a splinter in my skin, only these splinters were big-ass pointy sticks stuck in my skin rather than small slivers of wood.

As I began to focus more on my surroundings, rather than my body, I could make out several conversations from the forest.

"Will the demon-restraining barrier work against t-th-this THING?"

I faintly recognized the voice as the woman who I had heard screaming last night. The obvious disgust and fear in her voice caused a slight pain within me, but I was not overly surprised by her reaction. Demons are rarely liked no matter the circumstances.

"It will do for now. Once the priestess is done preparing, she will bind the demon with a rosary. Then it will be under control."

This voice was unknown to me. It seemed to be male and sounded deep and calm.

Bind me? Haven't they already done enough? I can barely twitch let alone harm a human. I don't know how much longer I can stand the bindings I already have. My body is so used to the seemingly unending supply of darkness to provide strength when my will is not enough that I don't think my body can handle being without it for too long.

I could feel my eyelids begin to close as I heard the sound of footsteps coming near me. No matter how much I willed my body to get up and face the person I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Once again I fell into unconsciousness where I dreamt of light.

-Line-

3rd Person POV

The smell of incense filled the air, effectively masking the normal scent of the forest. Holy energy crackled in the clearing as it fought to control the cat demon that laid on the ground, as if it were sleeping.

There were numerous candles laid out around the cat in a large circle around where the demon-binding barrier had been placed. The light of these candles along with the light of the setting sun showed the outline of the priestess with a long rosary with many small beads that appeared to be ruby red.

Normally a demon would be wide awake and struggling to escape the power of the rosary, but the black cat barely moved except for the steady rise and fall of its chest as it breathed.

The priestess rubbed the beads of the rosary for comfort as she approached the giant cat. Demons rarely grew to this size without having been captured by humans, so she was worried if the rosary would be able to contain the power of such a powerful demon.

She crouched down by the head of the cat and slipped the rosary around it's neck, nearly screaming as the giant cat's body gave a violent shudder as the rosary encircled it's neck.

The priestess tried to stand and get away from the demon but before she could move the cat's eyes met her own.

From the green depths of the demon's eyes she could see intelligence that suggested this demon was not a mindless killer like many of its kin; however, this fact seemed to frighten her. Many demons who showed signs of intelligence ended up wiping out whole villages if not properly bound by a priest's (or a priestess') will.

For a moment her body was chilled to the bone by the cat's intelligent gaze, but then for an instant she thought she saw the cat's pupil contract into a circle and its green eyes become warm, almost human.

As quickly as their gazes locked, the cat closed its eyes and it's body ceased to move and seemed to fall back asleep.

Stunned, the priestess sat there for another moment before regaining her senses and retreating back to the forest to wait until the cat wakes up.

-Line-

As the sun began to rise behind him, the demon hunter watched as the giant cat began to wake up and struggle to get to its paws. Beside him the priestess did her best to calm the beast with the power of the rosary so that it would not go on a rampage.

Noticing the cat's attempts to get up, the demon hunter removed the demon-binding barrier. Without the restraint of the barrier the cat staggered to its paws and began to approach the two humans.

"Woah, Atsuko be careful!"

The man stepped in front of the priestess and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as the cat stepped clumsily towards them.

"Don't worry, Minoru, it doesn't want to hurt us."

Atsuko replied calmly as she stepped out from behind Minoru's protective stance in order to face the demon.

She stared into the demon's eyes, hoping to see if there was still a trace of humanity within the depths of the cat's green eyes. Clouded green eyes stared back at her as the cat dully stumbled forward.

Atsuko jumped back as the cat fell forward, barely avoiding being caught between the ground and the cat's body. The cat's sudden movement prompted Minoru to jump forward and draw his sword.

The cat meowed weakly and gazed upwards towards the two humans standing above it. At the strangely domestic sound Minoru sheathed his sword and watched as Atsuko crouched down by the cat as it weakly tried to get up.

Slowly she reached a hand out to stroke the thick, black fur on the cat's head. In an instant Atsuko felt how weak the demon's power had become; it seemed as though the beast's power had been entirely sucked dry by the sacred arrows and there was only an empty shell of the cat's former power.

Atsuko was surprised at how the cat had managed to survive the binding of the rosary if it's power had been depleted to this extent.

She stood back up as the cat began to lift itself back up, the same dull expression plastered on its face. Strangely she felt slightly disappointed by the cat's lack of expression, the only thing worse than a smart demon was a dumb one.

-Line-

_Waka POV_

_The sunlight shown brightly down from between the branches of the guardian sapling. From where he was sitting,Waka could see a young woman dressed in a simple, light green kimono. Noticing his gaze, the woman turned to him and he couldn't help but notice her scarred yet tan skin and bright green eyes. Her raven black hair seemed to flow down to her mid back._

_He could feel himself smile at her in his vision. In response she smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. In an act of playfulness he turned his head so that she would kiss his lips instead. As she pulled back he could clearly make out a cherry red blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks._

_She pulled back only far enough to look him in the eye. As he gazed into her eyes he noticed their feline characteristics. Once again he could feel himself smiling at the woman, clearly amused by her reaction._

_Seeing his smile, the woman's eyes narrowed and her blush seemed to darken, but she still did not move from her position above him. Waka reached up and grabbed the woman's waist, pulling her into his lap. He heard the woman weakly protest as she squirmed in his grasp._

_In response he held her more firmly against him as he laid against the guardian sapling. After a moment, the woman stopped struggling and leaned back against his chest._

"_I love you, Waka."_

"_Junko, I-"_

Waka jolted back to reality and found himself staring at the remains of Kamiki village. His hand lay against his heart as an unknown feeling assaulted him, carried over from his future self in the vision.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter. I know its been forever since I last posted so I'll try to make it up to you by posting a bunch of chapters during spring break. :D**

Oh and I'm interested to hear who/what you want me to write about. Waka, the demon hunters, Junko, Junko's past?


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hate**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_South Ryoshima Coast_

3rd Person POV

The gentle sound of waves against the cliffs of South Ryoshima coast echoed up to the two humans who stood atop the moon turrent. Their recently acquired demon rested on the ground, having been unable to reach the top of the turrent despite numerous attempts.

At the cat's inablility to reach the fairly low platform the priestess turned to the other human and spoke solemnly.

"I think the rosary may have broken the demon. We must kill it."

"But, Atsuko, the demon has been getting better."

"Look at it! It's mind has been shattered! It will never be able to protect the village if it can't even think!"

"That is the most powerful demon we have found yet! That must count for something!"

Looking down at the cat, the priestess' gaze seemed to grow regretful for a moment before hardening.

"Well it doesn't. It would be best if we killed it in the morning, before we reach Sei'an City."

Also looking down, Minoru remained silent.

-Line-

_Through the darkness the silhouette of a creature with a long lean body could be seen crouched before a human being, its multiple tails weaving lazily through the air. An unnaturally deep and rough voice emanated from it through the darkness._

_"If we continue to control the full blood the humans will kill her. The control over her body is weak and it cannot handle the pressure from the beads."_

_The human seemed to twitch, a slight movement in the neck, before he responding, his voice was deep, stern, almost inhuman._

_"Very well."_

_For a moment the human turned and blood red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness._

Waka's vision was forcefully ended and a sudden wave of dizziness assaulted him. For days he had been searching for any clues concerning the rampaging beast he saw in his visions. And for days his search had been fruitless except for the occasional vision of suspicious characters in total darkness. The only other visions he had seen were those involving a young woman with green eyes and scarred skin. Each time he had a vision of the woman an unknown feeling would rise up in his chest. Soon images of her began to appear even as he slept, causing him to wake up with a strange ache in his chest.

-Line-

Junko POV

My dreams are always filled with darkness and pain, surely a reflection of my waking life. However, even as the earlier pain had barely begun to recede from my body I dreamt of light.

All my life I have only been aware of five kinds of light in the world, the sun, stars, moon, fire, and kindness. The sun always seemed to lull me asleep with its warmth, while on many nights the light of the moon and stars managed to calm me in my solitude. While fire provided both warmth and light, I never liked it much, but as a human it did have its uses. Kindness is a light that can come from within a person, as a child I never experienced kindness until I met Mitsuru.

In my dream, instead of darkness or pain I could only see light. At first the light burned my sensitive eyes, but as I relaxed and closed my eyes the light almost reminded me of sunlight as I drifted off to unconsciousness.

-Line-

As my eyes began to open I noticed that while my body was not suffering from the wounds inflicted by the arrows or any burns from the Hitodama; I could feel what seemed to be like bruises beneath my fur. Before I even began to move I could tell that my body would be sore, from what, I have no idea. Last thing I remember was fighting the Hitodama before being struck by sacred arrows and falling to the ground.

In front of me I noticed a human man with short black hair and black eyes staring me down, his sword drawn. Never being one to back down from a challenge, I narrowed my eyes and rose from my position on the ground to face him with my claws unsheathed. From the corner of my eye I saw a brief flash of light off of metal and made a split second decision.

Instead of leaping at him, I leaped over him, effectively crashing into the thrown skull (1) of the crow tengu before meeting the demon's sword with my claws. Due to my larger size, both the tengu and I landed on the ground behind the human male. For a moment I could do nothing because the pain of the skull crashing into my face made my eyes water; however, a sharp pain in my leg brought me back to reality. Looking down, I saw that while the tengu was trapped below me it still had enough room to hack at me with it's sword.

I bent my head and bit into the crow tengu's neck, stopping only when I heard a satisfying crunch of it's neck. Without wasting a moment I began to devour the tengu.

Licking my lips, I turned back to the human, wondering if he still wanted to pick a fight with me. He was wide eyed with shock, geez, even his mouth was open. I lowered my ears and bared my fangs, slightly embarrassed at his obvious shock.

Avoiding his gaze I observed my surroundings. We were standing beside a very run down Ankoku temple that was surrounded by a crumbling wall. Sniffing the air I could tell while this place wasn't overrun by demons it defiantly wasn't the safest place to be hanging around if you aren't prepared to fight.

"Atsuko!"

I flinched at the male's shout and turned as a female, who I guessed was Atsuko, walked through the gate and began walking uphill towards us.

She had long, light brown hair tied up in a high pony tail and wore miko robes. Instinctively I flinched away from her presence, her miko power seemed to bring about a painful feeling in my neck.

When she saw me she froze for a moment before quickly climbing up the last of the stairs leading to where the male and I were standing. As she approached I hissed and I felt a strange pull from what little darkness was still present inside of me.

My fur bristled and my claws dug into the ground in anticipation to rip into the woman's flesh. Tensing, my body prepared to leap and just before I could jump the man yelled, momentarily distracting me.

"The demon's about to attack! Stop it!"

Before I could respond I felt an unbearable pressure around me, pressing against my body especially around my neck. In a sudden jerk, my neck was forced onto the ground, bringing the rest of my body down along with it.

Hissing frantically I struggled to get up, but it seemed like my neck was freaking attached to the ground. With some effort I managed to lift my furry butt off the ground but my whole upper body laid splayed against the ground.

While I struggled to get up the two humans stood in front of me and talked amongst themselves. A small pair of sandal clad feet entered my vision and the priestess spoke, her voice strangely musical and calm.

"I don't understand why there was such a strange reaction to the rosary beads. Usually demons act like this right after the binding, but this one seemed to be in shock or something."

Next thing I knew a very large pair of feet entered my vision, nearly making my eyes water from the stench. Seeming to sense my mounting distress the priestess kneeled down and looked into my eyes. Gently, she placed her hand on my forehead. I flicked my ear at her, unable to do much else, and she jumped slightly at my movement.

She removed her hand and began to get up. As she did so, I could feel the pressure on my neck lessen. Slowly lifting my upper body, I came face to face with stinky-foot-man. Stretching to ease the soreness of my neck, I noticed that when I wasn't squashed against the ground I was taller than him by a good foot or so.

I'm pretty tall as a cat, but to be this much shorter than me he must be really freaking short. I couldn't help but snort at this. He must have sensed my inner mocking of his height because a moment later he reached up on his tip toes and blew into my face. My first reaction was to lean forward and practically smack him in the face... with my face.

He seemed to fly to the ground, clutching his face. Startled by his reaction, I stepped forward and gently nosed his shoulder, unsure of how badly I had hurt him. Just as I touched him he wrapped his arms around my head.

"Aw, you're practically a house cat!"

At his comment an image of a man with long golden hair and playful blue eyes flashed across my vision. I shook my head. I'd probably never see him again. For all I know he's already gone back to the celestial plain.

I could feel the man's fingers petting the longer hair of my neck and for a moment I allowed myself to enjoy the contact. As soon as the moment ended, I ran my rough tongue against his face. Immediately he pushed my head away and began rubbing his face.

-Line-

3rd Person POV

Atsuko paced slowly along the crumbling wall of the abandoned temple, the bottom of her miko robes swishing gently as she walked. Turning around, Atsuko was faced with a rather distressing sight. Minoru sat quietly on the ground, the demon cat curled serenely around him, its head laying on his lap, eyes closed.

"Minoru, how can you be so calm with that thing wrapped around you?"

At her words the cat opened its eyes and gave her a weird look. Shuttering, Atsuko couldn't help but be disturbed by almost everything about the cat, it's intelligence, it's strange reaction to the rosary, and most of all the humanity that could be seen lurking within the depths of the cat's eyes.

"Oh, come on! Look at her! She's the sweetest cat I've ever met!"

Minoru began to scratch the cat around the ears, earning an audible purr.

"Minoru, that isn't a cat! Its a demon! Wait... what do you mean 'her'?"

"Well if you look closely its kinda obvious-"

Sitting up, both the cat and Atsuko gave Minoru wide-eyed stares. Minoru laughed heartily at the females' shocked faces.

"Come on. She's recovered from whatever caused her to act so weird before. Why can't we just take her to Sei'an city? She's obviously smart. She's so big, she must be pretty powerful too."

Resting her head on Minoru's lap, the cat looked at Atsuko, seeming to ask the same question with it's eyes.

"Geez you two, fine! Let's go!"

-Line-

Junko POV

The warm sea breeze ruffled my fur, and the sand of the beach felt warm beneath my paws. Minoru and Atsuko walked on either side of me, Minoru on my left, his hand buried in the fur of my upper leg. Atsuko walked on my right, keeping a respectable distance away from my body. The stone pier leading to Sei'an city could be seen ahead of us.

Faintly I heard a slight swish of the sand behind us. I twirled around, the fur along my back and tail standing up from surprise, as a sharp pain assaulted me from around my hips.

There was nothing but some paw prints in the sand. Still feeling pain around my hips I turned my head to see what exactly happened and I came face to face with a chimera whose claws were embedded deeply into the flesh of my hips. Growing angry, I tried to swipe at the monster, but seeing as how he was literally stuck to my butt I couldn't reach him.

Minoru came to my rescue by slashing at the chimera with his sword, effectively detaching it from my butt. I raked my claws along the demon's side, which resulted in the excruciating sound of claws scraping against metal and no apparent damage. Luckily my attack distracted it long enough for Minoru to get a good swipe at it's head.

Lurching forward, I gripped the demon with my claws, trying to keep it still so Minoru could attack it freely. I could feel blood leaking from my wounds and running down my legs but I didn't loosen my grip. After what seemed like eternity the demon seemed to stop struggling for a spilt second and in that instant the demon was cut in half by a mysterious force before it's body disappeared and was replaced by flowers.

Looking around, I saw Atsuko a short distance away, a finger pointed at where the chimera had just been, concentration plastered all over her face. She fidgeted when she noticed my gaze.

I flopped to the ground and tried to lick my wounds, hissing slightly as a pair of hands touched the damaged flesh. All I got was a smack to the head from Atsuko, who was examining my wounds, her face displaying a vast amount of concentration.

I felt power begin to build up around my wounds. I hissed again, my ears flat and teeth bared as a new rush of pain assaulted me, but Atsuko didn't even glance at me. Slowly, the pain began to fade and when Atsuko lifted her hands I saw that the wounds had closed.

My head connected with Atsuko's chest, nearly knocking her to the ground. I purred loudly, feeling her relax against my head as I did so. As I licked the blood off my legs I examined my newfound companions, an unexpected rush of affection spreading throughout my body.

With these two I can breathe again.

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1. Crow Tengus generally throw a skull before they strike with their swords...

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	8. Chapter 8

**_Hate_**

**_Chapter 8_**

**The Village**

3rd Person POV

The walls surrounding Sei'an city had crumbled long ago. There were large patches of the wall which were simply gone, worn away by time. While the city lacked its old vicariousness it still housed one of the biggest communities of people in Nippon. Many of the people lived in the older, run down houses that remained from when Amaterasu defeated Orochi. Almost every inhabitant of Sei'an city was fluent in the ways of exorcising and binding demons.

No one paid any mind to the trio of two humans and a cat demon. The practice of binding demons with a priestess' will had been used for years as a means to help defend villages and fight other demons, so it was not uncommon for demons to enter the village.

Not every priestess was able to perfectly bind a demon, in those cases the demon would often break through the priestess control and go on a rampage, its mind broken by the effects of the rosary.

Due to the possible danger involved in binding demons with a rosary, every priestess must report to the head of the village before integrating their bound demon into the community.

After crossing the Gojo bridge into the aristocratic quarter, they entered Himiko's palace.

Walking down the hallways, the human's seemed to navigate the palace solely by memory, seeing as how the hallways were barely lit by widely spaced candles. Junko followed them silently, growing slightly anxious as the smell of other demons assaulted her senses. After some time they finally reached what used to be Queen Himiko's quarters.

An old woman with long white hair sat in the middle of the room. An equally old, grey cat demon lay curled around her, his bulk making him appear to be some sort of large, strangely feline dog. The grey tom slowly blinked his eyes at Junko, causing her to flick her tail nervously and flatten her ears.

The old woman watched the younger cat's reaction silently before getting up and approaching the black cat, the grey tom following closely behind her. Junko didn't move as the woman held out her hand and grabbed hold of something in her fur. Pulling the rosary where the cat could see, the old woman paused to gauge the cat's reaction.

For a moment the cat looked utterly confused, leaning forward the cat gently nosed the rosary as if that would give her an answer. The cat looked questioningly at the woman, clearly still confused.

"This is the rosary that binds you to Atsuko. Our village uses rosaries to bind demons to our priestess' will, by doing so we ensure our peoples' survival."

The cat's ear twitched at the sound of the woman's gravelly voice, and then flattened as the meaning of her words sunk in.

"It may sound cruel, but the bound demons enjoy a fairly peaceful life, safe from demon hunters that would kill them. Isn't that right Kenta?"

The old cat seemed to nod, his gaze never faltering.

"Chiyo-sama..."

Turning around, Chiyo walked towards Minoru and Atsuko, leaving the two cats behind her. Kenta stepped forward and quietly sniffed the fur along Junko's neck, pausing to allow her to sniff him in return. Kenta leaned forward in order to gently touch noses with Junko. Seeing the cats exchange greetings, Chiyo told the two calmly.

"She can stay. She is very smart. It seems you two drained a significant amount of her power, so it would be wise to let her recuperate in the village."

Atsuko and Minoru both dutifully replied,

"Of course, Chiyo-sama."

Turning around, all three began to leave the room. Just before they could leave Chiyo's voice rang out,

"Don't forget to ask her what her name is."

-Line-

Junko POV

Once we got outside the palace Minoru and Atsuko both turned to me, obviously confused.

"Do you have a name?"

I nodded. Of course I have a name, there isn't a demon out there that doesn't. You just have to take the time to ask them. Looking down, I carefully drew the kanji of my name with my claws.

_純__子_

"Eh, Junko? Pure child?"

Minoru questioned doubtfully. I nodded. After a moment, Minoru realized something,

"We never introduced ourselves did we?"

I shook my head. I couldn't blame them though; if I were human I probably wouldn't think of introducing myself to a demon.

"Well I'm Minoru and she's Atsuko. If you hadn't already guessed that is."

He added the last part when he noticed the 'no duh' look on my face. Atsuko quickly stepped in before we could go any further.

"Well, Junko I'll show you around the village. Minoru, go take a bath."

Without a word, Minoru slunk away, hopefully to a hot spring or something, cause his feet stink something fierce.

Atsuko lead me around the village. The market place was located in the in the very middle of the commoner's quarters and teemed with people, mostly woman who were walking around with their groceries in hand.

Along the edges of the city were the homes where everyone lived, as we walked through I saw several children peeking at us from behind the trunks of sakura trees. We walked by a tavern just outside the entrance to the Gojo bridge. Our last stop was the bath house, located at the far left corner of the commoner's quarter.

Just as we walked by Minoru emerged, looking far less dirty and smelling way better now that he had bathed.

His short black hair was still wet and plastered against his head. He was also talking to a girl with short brown hair and pale skin that was looking at him adoringly. I could feel Atsuko tense beside me, anger radiating off her in waves.

Woah, are Atsuko and Minoru an item? I never would have guessed that!

Guessing that the longer he talked to that other girl the more trouble he will get in with Atsuko, I calmly walked up to Minoru. When he didn't immediately see me, I took it up a notch.

Slamming into his back with my head, I effectively knocked him face down onto the ground. I flinched at his grunt of pain.

I didn't mean to hurt him, but based on the killer looks Atsuko was hurling at him and the other girl, I guess he's better off with a sore face.

Minoru slowly peeled himself off the ground, dirt clinging to his damp hair, an angry look on his face. The look fell off his face once he saw the murderous glint in Atsuko's eyes. I couldn't even see her face and my fur was still fluffed up from fear.

Geez, note to self never, **ever **get on Atsuko's bad side.

Taking Minoru's side in this might result in death from Atsuko, and taking Atsuko's side might result in killing Minoru. Deciding that neither option ended well I decided to remain neutral. So I turned tail and ran.

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**Happy 4th of July! :D  
**

**This chapter is a bit short... Sorry it took so long to update I forgot I had written this...  
**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!  
**


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